A witty, charming romp through the linguistic history of the words we use to describe the foods we eat.In Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies, Martha Barnette casts hundreds of words -- from eclair and pumpernickel to halibut and goulash -- into etymological history and reels in the whimsical tales of how foods were named.In Germany, bald cookies, or goetheglazen, are rounded on top and dusted with sugar on one side so they resemble the bald, and beloved, German writer Johann Von Goethe. The short, diagonally cut tubes of pasta, penne, take their name from Latin penna, which means "feather" "Refried beans" is a misnomer: although the translation from frijoles refritos seems reasonable, the beans aren't fried twice; in Spanish, refritos means "well-fried", not "refried". Russian dressing isn't from Russia -- it got that name because early versions contained caviar; Vichyssoise wasn't invented in Vichy, but concocted in New York City.Every food has a story to tell, whether it's graham crackers or the common leaf of lettuce, whose name contains its surprising origin. Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies, a charming smorgasbord of history, culture, and language, is a perfect gift for a favorite host, cook, food lover, or language fan.